


Too much love will kill you

by Silveraxe (princegrisejoie)



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Battle Royale, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Character Death, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 12:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princegrisejoie/pseuds/Silveraxe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter how many times they meet, Robb always dies too young. (kink meme fill)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too much love will kill you

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry it got so long. Apparently I’m quite obsessed with crime!AUs, pirate!AUs, zombie!AUs and you get a bonus Battle Royale!AU (or Hunger Games!AU if you prefer since it focused on the common point between the two that is young people having to kill each other) I hope you like it all the same!  
> NB: I corrected most mistakes but I may have left some of them.  
> It also fills two requests at once since my sister pretty much gave me the same prompt :)

**1.**  
  
_You promised me everything and I failed you._  
  
If Theon knew how, he’d laugh but he has forgotten. Rumor has it they’re planning to execute him. He hears it and isn’t even surprised to notice he doesn’t care anymore what will become of him.  
  
If only he could pretend Robb will be the one swinging the sword. He’d him give his head gladly. The rest of them are only distant figures, still believing and fighting and breathing. He is a ghost in a world that has ripped everything from him.  
When he finally dies, Robb is whispering in his ear.  
_We will meet again._  
  
He has always been too hopeful.  
  
  
**2.**  
  
The scene keeps playing over and over in his mind. Robb’s presence had liberated him from his nightmares; they were merely waiting for the day he’d die. With Robb gone, they jumped on him like starving beasts.  
  
_I should have died with him. Why didn’t I die with him?_ He feels nothing but a familiar, overwhelming pain and he burst into tears.  
  
  
*  
  
  
They were certainly not destined to meet. Robb worked at the police station; they needed him as he needed them. He was the most driven detective in the city; popular, passionate and helpful, he quickly became their poster boy. He embodied the hopes and the expectations of an entire city and even though he was grateful that his work was acknowledged, he feared that one day, he would disappoint every one of them. His fears never prevented him from doing his work, though. Theon admired that.  
  
Theon was a nobody at that time – not a criminal or an assassin, but he would have preferred that. He was working at his father’s bar – The Pyke’s – and Balon Greyjoy was barely paying him while everyone considered Asha as Balon’s heir, the only one able to fulfill his legacy. He felt like the fifth wheel on the wagon but he was slowly getting used to it.  
He smiled and behaved so that people would rather loathe him than despise him. He had looked for love his whole childhood – and he had learned that hate acted as a better replacement than scorn.

The day they met, Robb had pushed the dark doors of the Pyke’s with insolence – Theon remembers it clearly as he insisted on serving him himself. A stocky red-head with large shoulders and big blue eyes. He had seen him somewhere but couldn’t put a name on his face.  
  
Robb seated on a stool in front of him. He displayed a rather exaggerated confidence, as if he was anxious not to be taken seriously. In any case, it was obvious that Robb didn’t belong in this place – the bar that had been used as the Greyjoy’s hideout for so long.  
  
“You’re lost, kiddo ?” Theon let out with a sarcastic tone.

  
Robb smiled but he still looked hurt.  
  
“Not at all. I know exactly what I’m doing here, thanks. I’m a detective (he showed him his detective card). I have some questions to ask to one of your waitresses. So, no, I’m absolutely not –“  
  
“Not lost, I get the idea. You know where you’re going. You’re sure what you want.”  
  
Theon suddenly became infuriated. Robb wondered what he did he do or say to annoy him so much; he would have liked to do it again.  
  
Theon tossed his long, dark-hair over his shoulder and threw his head back in a studied way.  
  
“You’re Robb Stark, aren’t you? Spare me your babble, rich boy.”  
  
“How dare you !”, Robb protested without thinking. He sounded very obnoxious and it bothered him a bit. _Relax, Robb, he sort of had it coming after all._  
  
He hated the way he pronounced his name. How can you act in such a rude way with a total stranger?  
  
”What did I do to you? ” he asked before the other man could add anything.  
  
”You didn’t do anything wrong. But it doesn’t change a thing. ”  
His smile faded away from his face and Robb felt guilty all of a sudden.  
  
“ Now, get out.”  
  
Robb put his glass down. “Very well, I’ll leave.” Theon looked vaguely satisfied, “But not before you’ve told me your name”  
If Robb had to guess what Theon’s reaction would be, he wouldn’t have bet on that one. The once snarky young man stared at him as he saw him for the first time. He couldn’t conceal his surprise.  
  
”So you don’t know?”  
  
Robb was lost. ”Don’t know what ? ”  
  
”My name. Who I am. ”  
  
He was under the impression that he missed something very important. Was he supposed to know that handsome barman? Robb looked at him more attentively and could only notice that his trademark smirk was back.  
  
”Greyjoy. Theon Greyjoy, Robb Stark, that is my name. ”  
  
Robb didn’t judge him on that first impression: he came back every week and everyone at the bar noticed he stayed longer the days Theon worked. It didn’t take him long to approach Theon who couldn’t resist Robb’s genuine concern for him. Robb reached out for him and he clung to him as he had waited for him all his life.  
  
He regrets it bitterly  
  
*

Yes, yes, perhaps Robb didn’t die by his fault. He has been shot by some thugs he barely knew, how should he have prevented that?  
They were supposed to go to Paris together; maybe he should have convinced him to leave sooner. He had given everything to this city and its ungrateful people, why did he even stay ! _We can live anywhere, Robb. I just need you._  
  
It’s not his fault. But he is standing in front of his fucking gravestone, a _stone_ supposed to help him forget the very living and full of life being that was Robb Stark. It is impossible not to wish he had died instead of him.  
  
He falls on his knees and cries; he cries for so long that his eyes are burning, but he doesn’t feel anything. He’s convinced that he’s experienced that same despair somehow, in another life. It doesn’t make any sense but Robb’s dead. Everything seems meaningless – why dwell on what’s possible or not, why should he care?  
  
_Please, please, come back to me. I can’t live anywhere if you’re dead. I just needed you._  
  
Robb won’t come back. He will stay buried under this damned gravestone forever – or his body will. As for the rest, he’s gone forever and who knows where. Robb believed in Heaven but Theon couldn’t. Especially now he couldn’t. If Robb’s in Heaven, he will never see him again.  
  
He buries in head in his hands and he tries to picture Robb’s bright smile. It used to comfort him after every nightmare. And that is a nightmare, right? It cannot be otherwise…  
  
If Robb saw him like this, hopeless and miserable, what would he tell him? The answer comes to him as he has heard it before.  
_Wipe away your tears for we will meet again._

_**3.**  
  
  
_ He met Robb at Tortuga which isn’t a surprise really since he used to spend all his time there. Robb didn’t. He despised everything this island stood for at that time – piracy, dishonesty and flooding alcohol. He probably wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for Tywin Lannister setting him up.  
  
He put a mutiny together against young and passionate Captain Robb. Officially, the young wolf disappeared somewhere in the Caribbean. He lost his first crew and his ship on the same night and he swore to take it back. He’d show Lannister how worthy of the Company he was and he’d get his revenge.  
  
However, he only had limited navigation skills and besides, he needed a new ship. He had no choice but to try his luck at Tortuga. ‘Everything a pirate needs can be found here’, his father had said to him, ‘but it has a price’. And that price, Robb had learned, is often dishonesty. The Starks had always served the realm but tales were told of a few of them that couldn’t resist the inexplicable attraction of the pirate’s life.  
  
The mere idea of developing a taste for such a sinful life frightened Robb. He gave a wary look at everything – the drunken men leaned on the walls and the thieves that were walking suspiciously close to him especially.  
  
He could have chosen any tavern – there were dozens on the small but very populated island but Robb Stark entered the Kraken’s lair. It was hot and a bit stultifying inside although Robb might have felt uneasy because he had never seen anything like that before. For the first time since he left home, Robb understood the appeal of an independent, adventurous life and he couldn’t help but feel a tad excited.  
  
It’s true that part of him advised him not to pay attention to that dark and handsome pirate seated at the back of the room – what could he say? That was only one part of him, after all.  
  
So, he approached him and noticed the armada of attractive women revolving around him. He seemed extremely comfortable with that, which made Robb a little bit more hesitant. At that moment, the dark-haired pirate chased one of the women away in such a brutal manner, Robb couldn’t help but intervene.  
  
“Hey, what did she do to you?”  
  
Robb was standing in from of him now. He figured it was far too late to back down so he went for it and stared him down. Much to his surprise, the pirate couldn’t look him in the eye.  
  
“That’s none of your business” he answered, strangely quiet, “If you wanna talk, fetch me a drink first.”  
  
Robb nodded and obeyed - he couldn't even explain why. He just knows that the pirate's life seems really appealing now.

*  
  
He gets to know Theon and it doesn’t take long before he wonders how such a great, sensitive human being can have been left alone all his life. Until now, that is.  
  
They’re together now and whatever may come, they’ll face it side by side. Sometimes Robb can almost hear his mother’s voice as she advises him not to trust a Greyjoy – but for once in his life, he decides she might be wrong after all. Theon seems to have found something at his side; perhaps the home he has always been looking for.  
  
He runs away with their ship once, in a desperate attempt to impress his father. Robb is furious and upset but he waits with the crew they recruited together. They all warn him – waiting at Port Real, where Theon left them might not be a good idea and Robb still has a vengeance to fulfill. He wishes he could listen to everyone of them but he’s certain Theon will come back.  
  
He’s right. Eventually, they find each other again, argue for hours and admit they missed each other. Life looked promising again, as Tywin Lannister’s business seemed to go through a rough time. It could have ended like this, Theon figures.  
  
*  
  
The elegant silver sword pierces Robb’s chest with a sickening sound. His eyes stay wide open but he’s already dead when Roose Bolton whispers in his ear. “You should have chosen your enemies more carefully, Captain Robb Stark.”  
  
Theon lets out a scream when Bolton shows him Robb’s body. He tries to escape, to run beside Robb but the Bolton men catch hold of his arms. “CAPTAIN!” Theon shouts too late.  
They take him onto Bolton’s ship, laughing at him. He doesn’t hear them.  
Robb Stark just died – he refused to believe it until they showed him his cold, lifeless body. The once great Captain of the Grey Wind couldn’t have been killed that easily.  
  
“YOU STABBED HIM IN THE BACK!” Theon shouts. Roose Bolton looks down right into Theon’s eyes. He represses a shiver – that man used to be the only one to really scare Robb.  
  
“He stabbed us in the back when he decided to ally himself with worthless scums such as yourself, Theon Greyjoy.”  
  
He wipes away the blood on his sword with almost sadistic care and tears are flowing down Theon Greyjoy’s face without him knowing.  
  
He kisses the bright pendant Robb offered him and wordlessly prays to every god he ever heard of. Sometime ago, Robb had admitted he enjoyed listening to these voodoo witches pirates are so fond of. One of them once told him he’d die young in this life and all the others but somehow, he’d find his way back to Theon every time.  
  
Theon had laughed at that while Robb had looked strangely pensive as if he was trying to remember something he had forgotten long ago.

 

 **4.**  
  
  
“Where are my sisters?” Robb whispers, holding Theon’s hand tighter. “Where is my family?”  
  
Theon wishes he could comfort him, but he can’t find the words. Truth be told, they both know the Starks must be dead by now. He hugs him instead and say that everything is gonna be alright over and over even though he knows these are empty, meaningless promises.  
  
They’re hiding in the ruins of the police station Robb used to work at. It’s full of memories and certainly not the best hideout in the city but at least they won’t run out of ammunition any time soon. Theon is not even sure it’s a good thing anymore. What’s the point of living if everyone they knew and loved has become some brainless creature? He’s certain Robb won’t be able to go back to a peaceful life if his family has died without him to protect them.  
  
Theon looks at Robb, who’s curled up on the floor almost like his wolf and he wonders if now would be the perfect time to tell him he has been in love with him for years – he figures it counts as one of these ‘now or never’ situations. Theon leans on the wall, crosses his arms and tries to summon the courage he has left.  
  
Grey Wind looks as worried and depressed as Robb but somehow he manages to get up and rubs up against Theon’s leg. “Okay I’ll tell him” Theon whispers in Grey Wind’s ear. When they were children, Robb used to yell at Theon whenever he claimed dogs (or dogs that strangely looked like wolves) couldn’t understand humans. The memory makes Theon smile faintly – Robb truly was one stubborn kid but that only made him more endearing in his eyes.  
  
“Robb – You know what? We should tell each other our best kept secrets. They say best friends should know everything about each other and since we may as well die today…” He pauses. “I figured, why not? What do you think?”  
  
Robb looks up right in his eyes – he has cried and it shows. Theon tries to remain calm and composed.  
  
“Okay. But I’m pretty sure you already know everything about me.” Robb says. He sounds slightly amused, as if he already knows what Theon has in mind.  
  
“Do you know all there is to know about me?” Theon teases, “There is at least one thing I never, ever told you.”  
  
Robb lets out a small laugh and gets up. “I think I know exactly what it is.”  
  
“You couldn’t possibly –“  
  
“You talk an awful lot when you’re drunk.”  
  
“Oh fuck you, Stark !”  
  
“You weren’t saying that exactly but you’re really close –“  
  
“Okay then you won’t mind I guess” Theon cuts him. The next moment, they’re kissing passionately – as if it is the last time we kiss someone, Theon thinks and he realizes how satisfied he feels that he could be the last person Robb will ever kiss.  
  
“Wow” Robb breathes as they’re finally pulling away, “That’s true, then. You’re a great kisser.”  
  
“The best there ever was.” Theon replies. He runs his hand on Robb’s chest and leans to kiss his neck. Then, he notices the red mark on his shoulder.  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
He lifts his head and feels terrified when their gazes cross – he’s never seen Robb looking so desperate in his life.

“No, no, no, tell me I’m wrong, that’s not what I think it is” Theon’s head was spinning.  
  
“I’m afraid it is. Look, Theon – we don’t have much time” Robb says, his voice low. He puts his hands on Theon’s shoulder.  
  
“And you know…I just want you to know…” his voice almost breaks at that and he seems to have a hard time breathing, “…I’m glad to have spent my last moments with you. I’m gonna see my family again, now. Don’t cry. Please.”  
  
He’s clutching to him now and Theon cannot even fathom the exact meaning of his words.  
  
“You can’t - … you’re not dying, Robb!” he shouts.  
  
“Actually it’s worse than that.” They stay silent for a while; Robb lost in thoughts and Theon desperately looking for a way out of this mess. _You can’t let him die,_ he thinks, stroking Grey Wind’s fur, _he saved you thousands of times, you have to save him._  
  
“You have to kill me.” Robb blurts out. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“What?! No, no, Robb I’m not killing you, there is not one universe in which I’d kill you.” He can feel his heartbeat accelerating. He looks down at the gun lying on the floor where he left it. _There is no way I can shoot Robb, even if my life depended on it I couldn’t._  
  
“People often say I’m a selfish douche and I couldn’t blame them, you know. Because that’s exactly what I wanted them to think, so I could never disappoint them. But I won’t live up to this reputation today, Robb. I can’t.”  
Theon takes a breath and reaches out for Robb. Theon is horrified to find that his hand is shaking.  
  
“You’re afraid?”, he asks him, already knowing the answer.  
Robb lets out a faint laugh, “I must be.”  
  
Theon finally meets Robb’s gaze and he is abashed by how young he looks. _Perfect timing to remember he’s only seventeen. Great._  
  
“Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll shoot you so you don’t become one of these things.” It takes everything in him to pronounce these words, “I get it. You need – you deserve…a clean, dignified death. I’ll give you that.”  
  
He sounds so utterly devastated that Robb and Grey Wind both feel the need to comfort him. Robb puts his arms around his shoulders while Grey Wind rubs his head against him.  
  
They stay like this for a while – Robb’s whispering in his ear, telling him that he shouldn’t felt guilty and that he will always be loved over and over until Theon can’t take it anymore. He slowly pulls Robb away, bends down to take the gun.  
  
“I’ll kill you and then kill myself”, he announces, “Are you okay with that? If not, I’m sorry but I’ll do it either way.”  
“Are you certain you’ve got nothing to live for anymore?” Robb says. He sounds weak and exhausted. He’s dying and he can feel it coming.  
  
“Not if you’re dead. I wanted to die at your side, not to kill you, Robb - which is funny because I get to do both.”  
  
Robb smiles. “Now and always?” he asks. It sounds strangely familiar.  
  
“Now and always.”  
  
There is one gunshot. A dog howls as a wolf would, then another one and he stops. It takes at least five minutes before the gun fires for the last time.

 

 **5.**  
  
  
When their class had been chosen for the Battle Royale program, Theon had reacted in a pretty cynical manner at first. It wasn’t until he was left alone by his so called mates that he realized how serious and disastrous the whole situation was.  
  
“Great. What am I supposed to do now?” he whimpered. Ramsay used to laugh at his tendency to think out loud. _To hell with him! I wasn’t supposed to get left behind!_ He had never quite trusted Ramsay but he thought he could manipulate him. The bastard was far more treacherous than he imagined. He wondered why he hadn’t killed him when he had the chance; he probably thought it would be too easy.  
  
He was hiding in a deserted house by the shore when Robb found him.  
When Theon heard the footsteps on the wooden floor, he immediately looked for a weapon (Ramsay had taken his gun, of course) and grabbed the first thing he saw – some sort of plank.  
  
“Who’s there?” he asked, his voice lower than he had expected.  
“I won’t kill you. I won’t kill anyone.”  
  
“Then you’d better run, because killing doesn’t frighten me.”  
Theon sounded as if he was braggin and it made him feel a bit uncomfortable. “But I won’t chase after you if you leave now.” He added.  
The other boy didn’t answer right away. _Is he afraid of me?_  
That thought didn’t satisfy Theon nearly as much as he figured it would.  
  
“I’m looking for Theon Greyjoy”, the boy blurted out.  
  
Theon had trouble believing what he had just heard but eventually he had to admit it wasn’t some kind of illusion. He closed his eyes and re opened them a couple of times but the boy stayed there, waiting for an answer. Well, Theon supposed so – he only saw a glimpse of the boy’s legs from where he was hiding and he couldn’t afford to move too much in that narrow closet.  
  
“What do you want from him?”  
  
“I just wanted to make sure he’s alive and as well as he can be.”  
  
“No offense, but you seem to have completely missed the purpose of the game.”  
  
For a moment, Theon wondered if it could be some sort of trap but he couldn’t picture Ramsay setting up such a ridiculous comedy.  
  
“It’s not a game!” the boy stormed, “Most of my friends died, some committed suicide! Now tell me, what kind of game do you think you’re playing?”  
  
“I’m doing whatever it takes to survive this living hell!” Theon shouted.  
  
They stayed silent for a moment until they realized they were nothing more than two lonely, upset and frightened boys.  
  
Theon got out the closet to find himself face to face with Robb Stark. He knew him of course – he was that adorable red-haired wolf boy everyone loved. Even Theon couldn’t hate him. He was an idealist whose hopes hadn’t been crushed yet – he didn’t belong there.  
  
“Why did you want to find me?” Theon asked, genuinely intrigued.  
  
“I was hiding in the woods when I heard Ramsay and his gang making fun of you.” Robb explained, “They were saying horrible stuff like – they planned on killing everyone and saving you for last. It irritated me.”  
  
Theon smiled. “You’re impossible, Robb Stark. Nobody can be that sweet.”  
  
He could have sworn Robb blushed. “Oh and I found this in the woods. I guess it would be more useful in your hands”.  
  
He handed him a bow and Theon decided he was the most incredible person he had ever met. Part of him wondered why he never spoke to him before now.

*  
  
  
  
The next day, Theon wakes up early, his head pillowed on Robb’s tight. He’s surprised to notice he cannot remember having a bad dream that night. There is something incredibly reassuring in Robb’s presence - he can’t explain what exactly but he knows he hasn’t sleep so well in months.  
  
“We have to get up” Robb whispers, still half-asleep.  
  
“I suppose so.”  
  
Theon can’t say he’s completely in tune with Robb’s plan though, but he has nothing better to suggest him. Even if they had only a ghost of a chance it will work out, Robb will hold onto that.  
  
Truth be told, that plan looks more like some badly organized mass suicide but Theon figures there are worse way to die out there. Robb is planning on gathering all those who are unwilling to play by the rules of the game – then, they’re supposed to threaten the organizers by claiming they’ll kill themselves if the game doesn’t end now.  
  
Theon’s pretty certain it won’t work but he can’t let Robb risk his life alone now. If it wasn’t for Robb reaching out to him, he would probably be dead by now. At least now somebody will cry beside his lifeless body – if it comes to that. It doesn’t comfort him that much but that’s better than nothing.  
  
They’ve been walking silently for a few minutes when Robb spots a huge wooden structure that looks like an observation point of some sort. It’s rather high and it gives them a false impression of security.  
  
“We can rest here for a while.” Robb says as soon as they’ve climbed up. “You know it makes me think of these tree houses I loved as a child.” He looks melancholic all of a sudden.  
  
The view from up there is amazing, Theon has to admit. He leans out, his hands resting on the ledge of the tree house – he decides they should call it that if it makes Robb happy, why not? _He’s only a boy, and he has so much to live for._ That horrifying realization hits him like a brick. He has never wanted to protect someone before; it feels really so strange to be willing to die for someone else but he cannot say he doesn’t like it.  
  
“It’s the perfect moment, don’t you think, Theon?”  
  
Robb’s voice snaps him out of his daze.  
  
“The perfect moment – for what?” Theon asks, slightly anxious. He bends down to pick his bow and puts a hand on Robb’s shoulder. Their gazes meet and Theon’s heart jumps out of his chest. “No, no, Robb, you’ll get killed if you do that”.  
  
“At least, I would have tried. Please, Theon. You told me you’d stay at my side”.  
  
Theon can feel his lips trembling but by some miracle, he manages a deadpan expression as Robb grasps his hand.  
  
“PLEASE LISTEN TO ME, EVERYONE!” he shouts, “THIS IS NOT A GAME YOU ARE PLAYING. IT’S COLDBLOODED MURDER THEY’RE FORCING YOU TO DO.”  
  
While Robb’s trying to convince unwilling players to come and join them, Theon scans every nook and cranny, terrified that someone may have felt the need to silence Robb for good. He hasn’t let go of Theon’s hand yet.  
  
“DON’T BE AFRAID AND JOIN US AT THE OBSERVATION POINT. PLEASE. WE NEED YOU!”  
  
Please. Robb’s voice almost breaks at that word, Theon notices. He begins to realize Robb might have never truly believed in his own plan. He needed people to prove him right. _He doesn’t stupidly believe people will always do the right thing – he simply needs to think that in order to survive._  
  
Robb lets go of his hand. It takes a second for Theon to realize he collapsed on the floor. His last strengths leave him and he falls on his knees beside Robb. _You promised you’d stay with me._  
  
“Robb, it’s gonna be alright, they’ll come.” he whispers but no answer comes. No answer will ever come. Theon has never felt so frightened in his whole life. He looks at Robb’s chest and represses a scream when his eyes meet the disgusting, sticky, red hole near his heart. “Don’t die, please.” he begs but Robb can’t hear him.  
  
“You made a choice, Greyjoy. Turns out you chose wrong, as always.”  
  
Ramsay’s standing tall over them, his large figure overshadowing Robb’s body. Theon wishes he was able to glare at him but he feels weak and abandoned and friendless – he doesn’t fight back when Ramsay seizes his arm and drags him closer 

 

The world vanished in a familiar pain.

 

 **6\. Epilogue**  
  
Endless nights at the Dreadfort allow him to ponder about missed opportunities. He is drowning in regrets and untold secrets and memories that hurt more than Ramsay’s flaying knife.  
  
_I should have died with him he tells himself over and over_ , clinging to the foolish hope that Robb will enter his cell and put an end to his misery. He dreams that he finds him, sometimes. Of course he knows he’d execute him but this doesn’t frighten him anymore.  
  
In his dreams, Robb’s eyes never meet his own though. He can’t imagine how he would feel then.  
  
One day though, he has a nightmare in which Robb dies alone and helpless and without him. It felt so real that he screams when he wakes up, in spite of Ramsay’s warnings. Dogs and slaves do not dream.  
  
He tries to convince himself it was but a dream, an illusion – it comes to naught. He knows it happened and he knows he should have been there, at Robb’s side. He knows he was destined to drench in his blood.


End file.
